DWWA 2012: The countdown to DWWA results day
Check out the latest DWWA video
3rd May
Inside the magazine this month: Bordeaux 2012 full vintage report with tasting notes & scores, Outstanding Chilean Cabernet for £12-£16, Bottle variation explained, Madran profiled...
Have your say!
Tom Stevenson
May 30 13:23
Well Martin, when any organiser of any event puts a video about it on their website, it will be self-serving by definition, so no one should be surprised at that. There are many small differences that make the Decanter World Wine Awards special, but what makes its judging a unique process is that it is the only truly international wine competition that awards medals on a terroir basis. For example, as the Chair for the Champagne and Alsace panels, I am required to assist Decanter in selecting judges who know these two regions well, and we then make judgements based on our accumulated knowledge and experience. So, for Champagne, we are not just looking at sparkling wine, we are looking at Champagne, knowing how a Champagne should be at a certain age and for a specific style, be that a non-vintage Brut blend or a vintage Blanc de Blancs. We look for how it should be showing now and how it will develop in the future. When we taste blind, we make both greater allowances and greater demands according to the wine's provenance, age and style, based on our specialised knowledge and experience. Once the medals have been awarded, we retaste all the golds to decide on the same basis which ones should be awarded specific Regional Trophies. This is the point of difference that makes Decanter's competition unique. Then and only then do those trophy wines go forward to a third tasting where all the sparkling wines that have wone Regional Trophies will compete with each other for an International Trophy.
Martin
May 26 22:36
It is all very well for the judges to talk about how good the judging process is. But if you are not aware of what the proceedures is it sounds like a self serving promo.
Is there anywhere on there website that actually tells me what the 'unique' process involves?